Rosendale aims to set chicken limits

ROSENDALE, N.Y. -- Town officials are being egged on to adopt regulations governing the keeping of chickens on residential properties.

At a Town Board meeting Wednesday, town Supervisor Jeanne Walsh said recommendations by the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals are being reviewed.

"The Zoning Board of Appeals has been inundated with chicken issues," she said. "So chickens have been on everybody's mind."

The town has been considering requests to allow non-farm chicken ownership for about two years.

Advertisement

"The code enforcement officer and Building Department have asked for guidance on this," Walsh said.

"The existing code is very vague," she said. "It really focuses more on how you house the chickens and not so much on ... how many and where is the appropriate place to have chickens."

Officials said there are currently no limits on the number of chickens that can be kept, but restrictions focus on the location of coops, feeding areas and manure.

A proposal by the Zoning Board of Appeals "says if you have a sixth of an acre lot, you can have four chickens if you're in an R3 (district)," Walsh said. "If you're in an R2 and you have 12,500 square feet, which is about a quarter of an acre, you can have five to eight chickens. If you're in R1 and you have a half acre, you can have five to eight chickens."

Additional recommendations include allowing eight to 10 chickens in R1, R2 and R2A districts with at least 0.75 acres; up to 12 chickens on 1 acre; 16 chickens for up to 2 acres; and 20 chickens for properties with more than 2 acres.

"I already see some issues," Walsh said. "One is it's my understanding that you have to buy six chickens when you purchase chickens, so having four chickens is almost impossible."

The zoning board recommendation said the number was intentionally below the minimum purchase.

"We are not experts on the keeping of chickens and would not object to adjustment of these numbers by those who are better informed on chicken welfare," the board said. "However, we would suggest that the numbers of chickens allowed on the smallest lots should not equate to a standard order of six chickens, as required by law. By ensuring that backyard chicken owners cannot simply purchase the six minimum chicks at a farm supply store, the town will better encourage any new owners to form relationships with farms or chicken owners nearby, improve the likelihood that they will be adequately informed and prepared to undertaken this task, and that they have access to a support network when the unexpected arises."